Hinges and constructions incorporating the same



July 16, 1968 R. D. LA PAN 3,392,422

HINGES AND CONSTRUCTIONS INCORPORATING THE SAME Filed sept. 5o, 1965 2sheets-sheet 1 R. D. LA PAN July 16, 1968 HINGES AND CONSTRUCTIONSINCORPORATING THE SAME 2 Sheets-Sheet t Filed Sept. 50, 1965 34 i E' Ii4.- ml ILLPcuz, L-zaeg United States Patent O 3,392,422 HINGES ANDCONSTRUCTIONS IN CORPORATIN G THE SAME Raymond D. La Pan, Graniteville,Mass., assgnor to C. G.

Sargents Sons Corp., Graniteville, Mass., a corporation of MassachusettsFiled Sept. 30, 1965, Ser. No. 491,754 7 Claims. (Cl. 16-147) ABSTRACT FTHE DISCLSURE Hinge for attaching a panel to a wall and having a firstportion engageable with the front of a pintle and a second portion atthe end of a spring-pressed pin engageable with the back of the pintle,the two portions so encircling the pintle as t-o provide a pivotableconnection releasable by retracting the pin with the second portionbeing forced from its operative position when the panel is swung shut orwhen a predetermined pressure is exerted on its back surface, with meansto adjust the position of the second portion relative to the pintle, andwith means for adjusting the position of the spring.

The present invention relates to hinges and to constructionsincorporating the same.

While hinges in accordance with the invention may be used in variousconstructions, the objective of the invention may be most readilyunderstood by considering such material treating apparatus as driers ofthe type having treating chambers of substantial length through which aconveyor extends. It is desirable to have the sides of such chambersprovided with removable panels along both sides to provide ease andconvenience in meeting servicing requirements.

The general objective of the invention is toprovide hinges that may beused to attach panels to a drier side wall, the hinges being releasableso that when all are disconnected, the panel may be removed while, ifonly those along either side are released to function as latches, thehinges along the other side can then function to enable that panel to beswung open or shut.

In accordance with the invention, this objective is attained byproviding a hinge having a pintle attachable to an upright and a plateattachable to a panel and including an outwardly disposed end flangeprovided with a portion overlying and engaging the pintle, a pinprovided with a pintle-engaging portion extending in back of the pintleand slidably held by a guide on the plate for movement in a path atright angles to the axis of the pintle into a position in which itspintle-engaging portion is retracted from its pintle-engaging position.A spring yieldably urges the pin into its pintle-engaging position andthe pintle-engaging portions of the flange and the pin so encircle thepintle as to provide a pivotal connection between the plates that isreleased by the retraction of the pin. Such a hinge may include twoaxially alined pintles in which case there may be two identical plates,one inverted relative to the other, and each for attachment to arespective one of two adjacent panels.

To ensure that the hinges, when installed, are adjustable to function,in a desired manner, to permit a panel to be swung shut, for example,without manually retracting the hinge pin or pins at one side of apanel, itis necessary that the pintle-engaging portion of each hingethat is to function as a latch be so positioned as to engage its pintleshort of a lengthwise plane inclusive of the pintle axis and at rightangles to the upright supporting that pintle so that it can bemomentarily cammed by engagement therewith against the action ofthespring of the hinge to enable it to enter in back of its pintle when theflange portion 3,392,422 Patented July 16, 1968 ICC is in engagementtherewith. Adjustable stop means are, accordingly, incorporated intohinges in accordance with the invention to enable the pintle-engagingportion of each hinge to be accurately adjusted and adjustable means arealso provided to vary the action of each spring.

In some drier uses, it is desirable to have the panels open if there isan explosion in the treating chamber and this may be effected by soadjusting the springs of the hinges at one side of a panel to yield morereadily than those at the other side thereof.

In the accompanying drawings, there is shown an illustrative embodimentof the invention from which these and other of its objectives, novelfeatures, and advantages will be readily apparent.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary side View of a drier showing a panel connectedthereto by hinges in accordance with the invention,

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary section taken approximately along theindicated lines 2 2 of FIGURE 3,

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary and partly sectioned face view, on an enlargedscale, of one of the hinges,

FIGURE 4 is a section taken approximately along the indicated lines 4-4yof FIGURE 3, and

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary view, on a further increase in scale, of the.pintle and the pintle-engaging portion of one of the pins.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated by the drawings, panels5, 5A, and 5B are shown as having their proximate sides connected to theuprights 6 of a drier chamber 7 by generally indicated hinges 8.

Each hinge 8 includes a pintle 9 attached to a plate 10 by end supports11 and by an intermediate support 12 spaced equally from the endsupports and dividing the pintle 9 into upper and lower portions ofequal length. Each plate is attached to an upright 6.

Each hinge 8 also includes a single plate 13 in the case of an end paneland a pair of plates 13 when it is to be used in the support of adjacentpanels. Each plate 13 is shown las including upper and lower portionsdefined by the center lines along which are disposed the screw-s 14 bywhich it is attached to a panel. Each plate has an outwardly disposedend flange 15, at one side of its center line, terminating in aninwardly opening, arcuate channel 16 dimensioned to fit, when the panelto which it is attached is in place, between the intermediate support 12and one of the end supports 11 and against the portion of the pintle 9exposed therebetween.

Each plate 13 has, on the same side of lits center line as the flange15, a housing 17 within which there is a guide 18 provided with abushing 19 slidably supporting a pin 20 in transverse alinement with apassageway 21 in the flange 15 and engageable with the pintle 9 andhaving an end portion 20A and an intermediate portion 20B threaded toreceive a nut 22 and a nut 23.

The threaded portion 20B extends through a coiled compression spring 24resiliently bearing against the nut 21, -by which its tension may beadjusted, and against the guide bracket 25 which is shown as secured toa boss 26 as by screws 27. The pin 20 is thus yieldably urged intoengagement with the pintle 9 when the panel is in place, otherwiseoutwardly beyond the flange 15 until the nut 23 engages the proximateend of the bushing 19, the nut 23 thus serving `as an adjustable stop.The pin end portion 20A extends freely through the bracket 25. A handle28 is held by a screw 29 serving as a pivot and threaded into the boss26. The handle 28 has a depending arm 30 having a slot 31 slidablyconfining a pin 32 on the -free end of the pin end portion 20A. With thehinge shown in the drawings, the handles 28 are yieldably held in avertical position by the spring 24 but may be swung manually towards ahorizontal position to retract the pin 20 from its operative,pintle-engaging position.

Referring now to the pintle-engaging end of the pin 20 when it is tofunction as a latch, it will be noted that it has a vertical recess,arcuate with respect to the pintle 9 providing shoulders 33 and 34. Itwill also be noted that the shoulder 33 is shorter than the shoulder 34and terminates short of a vertical plane axially of the pintle 9 and atright angles to the upright 6 when the panel is in its closed position.

With a panel mounted at both sides to uprights 6 by the hinges 8, thehinges or hinge at either side may be released to function as latcheswith the hinges 8 at the other side then being operative to permit thepanel to be swung open. By releasing the hinges 8 at both sides, a panelmay be removed and replaced and as the center lines of correspondinghinges are transversely alined and uniformly spaced from the ends of thepanels, the panels may be interchanged and mounted on the uprights,either end up.

It will also be appreciated that the disposition of the shoulders 33relative to the pintles 9 enables the pintles 9 to cam the pins 20 outof their operative positions as when a panel is swung shut, or, whenshut, if the pressure builds up in back of a panel to a predeterminedextent as is desired, in some drier uses, in case of an explosiontherein. It will also be appreciated that adjustments of each nut 23enable the operative position of the shoulder 33 to be precisely setwhile adjustments of each nut 22 enable the resistance of each spring 24to movement of the associated pin 20 to be controlled to ensure thedesired operation.

It will be noted that in order for two panels to be connected to thesame upright and to -be reversible, the pintle-engaging pins 20 of thetwo plates 13 must be located one higher than the other. With the platesshown in the drawings, one is inverted relative to the other when turnedend-for-end in order to permit this arrangement but because of the sizeand shape of the plates 13, a balanced appearance is achieved.

I claim:

l. A hinge including a pintle, a plate including an outwardly disposedend flange provided with a portion overlying and engaging said pintle, apin including a pintleengaging portion extending back of said pintle,means slidably connecting said pin to said plate for movement in a pathat right angles to the axis of said pintle into a position in which saidpin portion is retracted -from its pintle-engaging position, and aspring carried by said plate and connected to said pin and yieldablymaintaining said pintle-engaging portion in engagement with said pintle,said flange and pintle-engaging portions so encircling said pintle `asto effect the pivotal interconnection of said plates disconnectable whensaid pin is retracted but with the pintle-engaging portion terminatingshort of a vertical plane through the axis of the pintle at right anglesto the pin axis when in engagement with the pintle.

2. The hinge of claim 1 and means to adjust the position of thepintle-engaging portion of the pin relative to the pintle.

3. A hinge including a pintle, a plate including an outwardly disposedend flange provided with a portion overlying and engaging said pintle,`a pin including a pintle-engaging portion extending in back of saidpintle and terminating short of a plane lengthwise of the axis of thepintle and at right angles to the pintle, a guide on said plate slidablysupporting said pin for movement in a path at right angles to the axisof said pintle into a position in which said pintle-engaging portion isretracted from its pintle-engaging position, said pin including end andintermediate portions, a bracket through which said pin end portionextends, said intermediate pin portion being threaded, first and secondnuts threaded on said intermediate pin portion, a spring interposedbetween and resilient bearing against said lbracket and said first nutand yieldably maintaining said pintle-engaging portion in engagementwith said pintle with its effect adjustable by turning said first nut inone direction or the other, said flange and pintle-engaging portions soencircling said pintle as to effect a pivotal interconnectiondisconnectable when said pin is retracted, and said second nut beingengageable with said guide to limit the position of said pin portionwhen said hinge is disconnected and being adjustable by turning saidsecond nut in one direction or the other.

4. The hinge of claim 3 in which the end flange has an opening throughwhich the pin extends.

5. A hinge including a pintle, a plate including an outwardly disposedend fiange provided with a portion overlying and engaging said pintle, apin including a pinned-engaging portion etxending in back of said pintleand terminating short of a plane lengthwise of the axis of the pintleand at right angles to the pintle, a guide on said plate slidablysupporting said pin for movement in a path at right angles to the axisof said pintle into a position in which said pintle-engaging portion isretracted from its pintle-engaging position, said pin including end andintermediate portions, a bracket through which said pin end portionextends, said intermediate pin portion being threaded, first and secondnuts threaded on said intermediate pin portion, a spring interposedbetween and resiliently bearing against said bracket and said first nutsand yieldably maintaining said pintle-engaging portion in engagementwith said pintle with its effect adjustable by turning said first nut inone direction or the other, said ange and pintle-engaging portions soencircling said pintle as to effect a pivotal interconnection of saidhinge disconnectable when said pin is retracted, 'and said second nutbeing engageable with said guide to limit the position of said pinportion when said hinge is disconnected and being adjustable by turningsaid second nut in one direction or the other, a handle pivotablyconnected to said second plate, and a connection between said handle andthe extremity of said pin end portion operable to move said pin towardsits retractable position as said handle is swung in a predetermineddirection.

6. A hinge including a pair of alined pintles, a pair of identicalplates disposed at right angles to the axis of said pintles but inopposite directions, each including an outwardly disposed end flangeprovided with a portion overlying and engaging one of said pintles, apin including a pintle-engaging portion extending in back of said onepintle portion and terminating short of a plane lengthwise of the axisof the pintles and at right angles to said pintle, a bracket and aguide, the guide slidably supporting the pin of that plate for movementin a path at right angles to the axis of said pintles into a position inwhich said pintle-engaging portion is retracted from its pintle-engagingposition, said pin including end and intermediate portions, the pin endextending through the guide, first and second nuts threaded on saidintermediate portion, a compression spring interposed between andresiliently bearing against said bracket and said first nut andyieldably maintaining said pintle-engaging portion in engagement withthe appropriate pintle portion with its effect adjustable by turningsaid first nut in one direction or the other, each flange and associatedpintle-engaging portion so encircling the pintle as to effect areleasable pivotal interconnection therewith, and said second nut beingengageable with said guide as an adjustable stop.

7. In combination, a wall including a series of frames interconnectedside-by-side, a panel for each frame, hinges connecting both sides ofeach panel to both sides of a yframe, each hinge including a pintle, aplate including an outwardly disposed end flange provided with a portionoverlying and engaging said pintle, a pin including a pintle-engagingportion extending in back of said pintle, means slidably connecting saidpin to said second plate for movement in a path at right angles to theyaxis of said Ipintle into a position in which said pin portion isretracted from its pintle-engaging position, a spring carried by saidplate and connected to said pin and yieldably maintaining saidpintle-engaging portion in engagement with said pintle, means to adjustthe opposition of said spring to retraction of said pin, and anadjustable stop limiting movement of said pin by said spring, saidflange and said pintle-engaging portions so encircling said pintle as toeffect a pivotal interconnection that may be disconnected by retractingsaid pin whereby the hinges for a panel may be disconnected to enablethat panel to be removed or the hinges at their side may be disconnectedto enable the panel to be swung on the hinges at the other side, saidpintle-engaging portion terminating short of a vertical plane throughthe axis of the pintle at right angles to the pin axis when inengagement with the pintle thereby to function as a cam to force saidpin `against the resistance of said spring as the panel is swung shutand when a predetermined pressure is exerted against the interiorsurface of the panel.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1/1957 Hess et al. 16-175 10/1963Flaith et al. 16-147

